Man Tried To Rape, Kidnap Woman In Lower Bucks Grocery Store Lot: DA

LOWER BUCKS COUNTY, PA —A Lower Makefield Township man has been charged with attempting to rape and kidnap a woman in the Redner’s parking lot in Middletown Township, authorities said.

Daniel R. Pierson, 41, of Lower Makefield Township was arrested less than 24 hours after the frightening encounter, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office said.

At 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, officers with the Middletown Township Police Department were dispatched to the Redner’s at 1361 Lincoln Highway to investigate a report of an attempted rape and assault of a female.

Responding officers spoke to the victim.

The victim said she parked her truck toward the back of the parking lot, and almost immediately after getting out, was grabbed from behind by a white male, described as being approximately 6-feet-tall with a beard and short/balding hair and wearing dark-colored jeans and a black T-shirt.

The victim fought to remove herself from the man's grip and began to scream, however, the man would not let go.

During the struggle, the man was able to pull down the victim's pants and yelled at her to shut up and punched her in the face, causing a laceration and swelling.

The man lifted and moved the woman toward his truck, but she continued to scream, which scared off the man.

The man ran back to his truck, which the victim described as an older model Ford F-150 or F-250, blue in color, and full of rust and dents.

The victim advised that the assault happened between 7:50 p.m. and 8:10 p.m. Investigators were able to identify a dark blue, older model Ford F-250 that passed through the area at 7:58 p.m.

The truck was traced back to someone related to Pierson, who matched the description of the attacker. Pierson is known to police to be a methamphetamine user.

On Wednesday at 2:43 p.m., the truck was located at a residence in the 1500 block of Newport Road in Bristol Township.

Pierson was taken into custody after leaving the home, and driving a different vehicle. He was wearing a black T-shirt and dark-colored jeans.

He was charged with criminal attempt to commit kidnapping to facilitate a felony, criminal attempt to commit kidnapping to inflict injury or terror, criminal attempt to commit rape by forcible compulsion, criminal attempt to commit rape by threat of forcible compulsion, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment and three counts of simple assault.

Pierson was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Frank W. Peranteau Sr. on Wednesday night and was sent to Bucks County Correctional Facility under $1 million bail, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office said.